Former Buffalo Public School Receives Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) announced Public School 75 of Buffalo, New York, now known as the Charlie Bush Building, as the winner of the 2024 ACHP/HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation. This annual award recognizes a single project that has successfully advanced the goals of historic preservation, while at the same time providing affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

“The ACHP/HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation is a wonderful representation of HUD’s mission to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “Today, we honor School 75 and thank them for being a catalyst for the revitalization of their community by providing affordable housing while also supporting our nation’s veterans.”

The Charlie Bush Building opened as Public School 75in 1925 and acted as a neighborhood anchor and asset for more than 50 years in the William-Emslie neighborhood. It closed in 1979 and after serving other purposes, shut its doors for good in the early 2000s. Sitting vacant for two decades, the building fell into disrepair. Despite its rundown condition, the Western New York Veterans Housing Coalition, Inc. saw the potential to support local veterans and families by restoring the school into housing.

The Coalition teamed up with Norstar Development USA, Stieglitz Snyder Architecture, M&T Bank and others to preserve School 75 and create 47 apartments, a mix of studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units, including 33 with supportive services for veterans and military service-disabled individuals. Twelve new housing buildings with 18 affordable units utilized vacant parcels in the surrounding neighborhood. Part of the former school auditorium is now the main entrance and community room, while another part houses the Coalition headquarters. School 75 is part of a larger City of Buffalo revitalization effort on the city’s east side. Public School 75 now bears the name the Charlie Bush Building in honor of U.S. Army Specialist Charles E. Bush Jr., a Buffalo native who was killed in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gigi Grizanti Cooke, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western New York Veterans Housing Coalition, Inc., accepted the award on behalf of the School 75 project. “For 37 years now, we have provided affordable permanent supportive housing to homeless veterans and those in need,” Cooke said. “The completion of the School 75 project was an important part of continuing our mission. This historic rehab was no easy task, and we are thrilled that the details put into this project are being recognized with this prestigious award.”

“We commend the visionary partners in the School 75 project for reusing a historic building to house veterans and military service-disabled residents as part of their broader investment in the neighborhood,” ACHP Chair Sara C. Bronin said. “This project proves that early 20th century schoolhouses–which are being mothballed or demolished at alarming rates – can be successfully rehabbed to serve the housing needs of the communities they once educated.”

Residents of this property receive rental subsidy through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative program and HUD’s Continuum of Care program. The households also are linked with comprehensive on-site services provided by the Western New York Veterans Housing Coalition.

To learn more about Public School 75 and other HUD Secretary’s Awards, visit: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/about/HistoricPres-intro.html